Airport security stops fine wine, passenger drinks it

Consequences mount after a pensioner is stopped from carrying on board two bottles of wine.

When a pensioner about to fly to Thailand was told he could not carry on board two bottles of expensive wine, he decided to drink them both before boarding.

But he was then denied access to the plane because he was so inebriated.

After the 67-year-old German citizen checked in his suitcase at Frankfurt Airport, the two bottles of vintage wine in his hand luggage failed to make it through the security check.

He retreated to drink them and was not allowed to board his flight due to excessive alcohol consumption, the federal police announced yesterday.

Intended as gifts
The fine wines were intended as gifts for the man’s hosts in Thailand. The passenger explained later that he thought the precious liquid was expensive and he was not prepared to let it go to waste.

Denied access to the plane, he opened a locked door at the airport with an emergency button and tried to get to the aircraft on foot, only to be stopped by airport officials. Unauthorised entry to the tarmac constitutes an administrative offence and the police were called.